I Did it Because I Love You
by rosetyler39
Summary: Rose is fatally injured after saving the Doctor. Lots of angst and a sad Doctor.


**Hello sweeties! This is my first fanfiction, so if it's not in tip-top shape, my apologies. So if you have any constructive criticism to offer, feel free to do so. Before you start, I would like to say a special thanks to my friend StarMaster7 for proofreading my fanfic before letting you all read it.  
**

**DISCLAIMER: As you must have figured out, I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters (although I have created an alien race).**

**Hopefully you enjoy my fanfic!**

**Rose**

"Doctor!" Rose yelled across the field.

There was so much commotion that she doubted he'd heard her. She just had to focus on ducking and running. The Doctor would be alright. So she focused more on the sound of her footsteps against the hard ground. When she looked up again to locate the Doctor, she was horrified to see him barreling towards her.

_What in the hell is he thinking?! He'll get himself killed!_

But she didn't even have time to think before the Doctor grabbed ahold of her hand and dragged her behind him to the TARDIS. It was amazing that they even made it within a few feet without suffering any injuries.

_At least he was smart enough to park it somewhere well hidden._ Rose thought as she and the Doctor darted behind a large rock formation where the machine had conveniently been parked.

They backed up against a flat part of the rock wall, listening for the Syphron. Silence. Rose panted, trying to catch her breath as the Doctor fumbled nervously with his keys, trying to unlock the TARDIS doors. It was then that she noticed a Syphron aiming a gun at the Doctor. Time seemed to slow down as Rose watched in horror when the trigger was pulled. She had no time to think; she jumped in front of the Doctor screaming one word:

"No!"

**Doctor**

The Doctor ran. What else could he do? Running seemed like the most logical thing to do. He barely heard his companion screaming his name, he was so caught up in distracting himself from the burning sensation in his muscles. But he stopped mid-step, swallowed the knot in his throat, and pivoted towards the direction of the scream.

_Rose! _His mind screamed at him, _I have to get to Rose!_

He had to make a choice; so he ran in her direction, despite knowing he was risking his life. It barely took the man a second before he was grabbing Rose's delicate hand and pulling her behind him, taking care to occasionally look behind him to make sure she was uninjured and still holding on.

_Just a few more feet, and we'll be safe. _He thought.

And it was a good few feet before the Doctor and his partner were safely behind the rocks where the TARDIS had been parked. He listened for any sound of Syphron, but it seemed that they had given up the chase. Although he was used to this sort of cat and mouse game, the Doctor couldn't help but shake a little as he fumbled with his keys to unlock the TARDIS. The experience certainly shook him up.

_At least we're both safe_. He thought.

Suddenly, he heard Rose shout something, and then yelp. All that remained was silence.

**Rose**

Rose's vision was blurry. Everything had happened so quickly. What _did _happen? She just stared up at the sky, dazed and in incredible pain. All she heard was the Doctor's muffled scream, and his footsteps running in the direction of the Syphron that had shot him. Did it shoot him? She wasn't really sure. Before she knew it, a figure was hovering over her, saying something to her. She blinked a few times before she could make out the figure; the Doctor.

"…se?! …ose?! Rose?!" was what she could hear escaping the panicked Time Lord's lips.

"Doctor…" she said with a weak smile. "My Doctor…"

She could barely make out the look of pure horror painted on the Doctor's face.

"Rose. Why did you-?" he began.

It was then Rose realized what had happened.

_I did it. He's safe. My Doctor is safe._

She stopped him mid-sentence.

"Because," she coughed, "B-because… I l-love you…"

She could see the Doctor smile sheepishly through tears.

"You're always so damn selfless," he remarked, before returning to a more urgent tone, "We need to get you to the TARDIS."

Just as he attempted to pick up Rose, she let out a shriek of pain.

_Ahhhhhhhhh! Oh God!_

She felt herself being lowered down to the ground once more. Her entire body hurt so much. She could see the Doctor run his fingers through his hair like he always did when frustrated. She lifted her hand to his cheek, wincing as she did so.

"It's alright. It's alright…" she said, barely whispering, "Let's just stay here for a while."

"But you'll die!" she heard the Doctor choke out.

Rose looked at him with tears of pain lingering in her eyes. "Please. It hurts too much. I just want to lie still…"

She lowered her hand. "Hold me. Please?"

She soon found herself with her head in the Doctor's lap, his hands stroking her hair. There was a long moment of silence before Rose broke it again with a coughing fit.

"This is all my fault," she heard the Doctor say, "I should have never let you on the TARDIS."

"Are you crazy? I…" she coughed again, "I _chose _to go with you. And it was the best decision of my life. You think I wanted to be a store clerk for the rest of my life?"

"I should have been the one to take that laser!" the Doctor cried out, "You humans slip away so quickly!"

Rose was surprised to hear such a horrid statement roll off the Time Lord's tongue. Just the thought of her holding an injured Doctor in her arms made her heart sink.

"Seeing you hurt is more painful than _being_ hurt," Rose admitted, her voice quavering. She saw tears roll off of the Doctor's cheeks. "Don't cry."

"But I love you! You can't die!"

That was the first time Rose had heard the Doctor confess his love for her. It was a statement that made her smile.

"You don't know how long I've waited to hear those words."

It was a while before Rose began to see black spots in her vision. But she wasn't frightened. She was safe in the lap of the man she loved so dearly. She couldn't hear the heavy sobs the Doctor let forth. And she no longer felt the pain that her burns initially caused her. She only felt the warmth of the Doctor's lap and the tenderness of his hands as they stroked her hair. The last thing she saw was the beauty of the Syphrone sky, watching the distant nebulas and stars swirl, as if they were dancing.

_Beautiful. Simply Beautiful. _She thought, as she welcomed the darkness with open arms.

**Doctor**

He didn't want to turn around. He didn't want to see. But he did, and what he saw horrified him. On the ground lay a still, injured Rose. And straight ahead stood a frightened Syphron; the same Syphron who felled his Rose. Screaming, the Doctor barreled towards the alien, but was too slow; it was gone before he could grab ahold of it. Remembering his severely injured companion, he turned around and ran towards her, hoping she could still be saved. Kneeling beside her, the Doctor rolled up Rose's shirt. What he saw horrified him. His companion's stomach was burned badly, red with blood.

"Rose?! Rose can you hear me?!" No response.

"Rose?! Rose?! Rose?!" he called again, his brow knitting. This time her eyes parted and she began whispering his name, a smile on her face.

The man's concern for his fallen companion was genuine. But why was it that the Syphron shot her, and not him? Then he came to the horrible realization.

_She took the laser for me. Why, why would she do that?!_

"Rose," he began as tears welled up in his eyes, "why did you-" but he was interrupted by her.

"Because," he heard her cough wretchedly, "B-because I love you."

The Doctor was shocked at this remark.

_She loves me?!_

This made him smile a bit.

"You're always so damn selfless." He attempted to laugh, but even that was hard for him during this time of urgency. "We need to get you to the TARDIS."

Just as he started to lift the girl up, she screamed in pain. It hurt him deeply to hear his Rose in such agony, so he rested her gently on the ground, not wanting to hurt her anymore. Running his fingers through his hair, the Doctor tried to figure out a way to get the woman he loved so much medical attention, when he felt a shaky hand come up to his cheek.

"It's alright…" he heard her say. "Let's just rest here for a while."

He knew they had no time to spare.

"But you'll die!" he yelled defensively, tears now rolling down his cheeks.

"It hurts too much…" he heard Rose say. This made the tears fall even faster.

_She's in pain._ This thought was too much for him to bear.

"Hold me. Please?" was the next thing he heard pass the dying girl's lips. His chest was heavy as he adjusted her so she had her head in his lap. He stroked Rose's hair, feeling how soft each strand felt between his fingers, not wanting to lose the woman he loved.

"This is all my fault," he said solemnly, "I should have never let you on the TARDIS."

"I _chose _to go…" he heard her say, but he didn't want to hear it. The Doctor couldn't get it out of his head that it was his fault.

"I should have been the one to take that laser!" he said through his sobs, "You humans slip away so quickly!"

Rose continued to try and offer rebuttal, but the Doctor soon found himself saying what he'd always wanted to say.

"… I love you!"

At this, he saw Rose smile gently. And it seemed that the universe stood still.

The Doctor held Rose for a while, stroking her hair. But he couldn't hold back the heavy sobs that kept forcing their way out as he felt her frail figure force out hoarse, unsteady breaths. This was never meant to happen. But Rose was fading, and there was nothing he could do. All he could do was cry; and that made him feel completely useless. Then all of a sudden, Rose became very still.

"Rose?" the Doctor whispered.

He didn't want it to be true. He wanted to see some remaining sign of life. But even he knew she was gone.

"NO!" he shouted at the sky. It was a cry that mixed all his feelings of pain, sorrow, and fury into one.

He cradled the woman he loved so much in his arms, crying into her lifeless chest, whispering pleas of 'bring her back' so silently only he could hear them. He had just lost the one person whom he cared about most, because he couldn't protect her well enough.

_Bring her back. Oh God, please bring her back._

After a while, the Time Lord loosened his grip on his beloved Rose, lifted up his head, and knitted his brow into a look of fury. Syphrone would regret this day. The day that they murdered his Rose Tyler.


End file.
